About Byte by Byte

Hey, Sam Gavis-Hughson here, founder of Byte by Byte!

Who am I?

Currently, I work full-time as a software engineer in New York City. I perform regular coding interviews and do full-stack web development, primarily in Java and Go. I spend a lot of my time experimenting with new technologies, as well, including everything from Elasticsearch to RabbitMQ. I also regularly volunteer as a C/I Mentor, helping NYC high school students prepare for software engineering careers.

I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Computer Science in 2015. Along the way I sang in an acappella group and interned at two companies, a small startup called Tussle and Hubspot, where I learned much of the ins and outs of software engineering jobs.

Why Byte by Byte?

Last year, I spent 4 months interviewing for jobs. As a senior in college, I knew that was going to be the reality, but I didn't expect quite the level of intensity I got. The first coding interview I had was in August, before I had even started my fall semester.

While I was going through my interview preparation and the interviews themselves, I realized that there was something missing. There are so many resources out there for studying what the answers are to coding problems, but no one addressed how to actually show off your knowledge in an coding interview.

I didn't know how to adequately prepare my body and mind. What do I wear to interviews? I had an internship one year where they said “The dress code is anything you like. Except Sam, you're not allowed to wear a suit.” That's what you get for wearing a suit to your interview at a 5 person start up.

With this blog, I aim to answer these questions. I will delve into all the non-technical aspects of software engineering interviews and try to unpack all of the ins and outs to give you the best chance.